WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Monday
again asked Congress to allow oil and natural gas drilling in
Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, saying $7 billion
could be raised in leasing fees from energy companies.

In its proposed budget for the 2009 spending year, which
begins on October 1, the White House said it assumed the
initial tracts in the refuge could be leased during 2010.

The government would share half the $7 billion in leasing
revenue with the state of Alaska.

However, the Democratic-controlled Congress is against
opening the area to drilling and the two leading Democratic
candidates for president also have opposed energy exploration
there.

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The refuge, which is home to a variety of wildlife such as
polar bears and migratory birds, stretches across 19 million
acres in the northeast corner of Alaska.

The White House wants to offer 1.5 million acres (607,000
hectares) in the refuge's coastal plain for oil and natural gas
exploration leases.

The Interior Department estimates the area that would be
drilled holds between 5.7 billion and 16 billion barrels of
oil.

If the refuge were opened to drilling, it would take about
eight years before the area reached full production of around
800,000 to 1 million barrels per day, according to the Energy
Department's analytical arm.